Adventures in Whoville
by TurnMyGriefToGrace
Summary: MerDer one shot, set after "Suicide is Painless." Basically an extension of the "Whoville" scene, in which they have a conversation that lasts longer than 30 seconds. Spoilery if you haven't seen the episode. Enjoy.


**Disclaimer: I wish I didn't have to write one, but I do. So there.**

**I haven't written a one shot in a while, so I decided it was time. Also, this except from the blog bothered me, and I had to do something about it:**

**_No, let's be honest – Derek is kind of a jerk in this episode. He steals a patient from his wife. A patient she diagnosed. A patient she was going to get to do a cool procedure on. And he did it behind her back. But here's what I love – you don't hate him for it. Because even jealous and petty, Patrick is so damn charming …_**

**Yes, Patrick is so damn charming, but what Derek did in this episode was douchy. I mean, I get it, but still. It bugged me. This is basically an extension of that last MerDer scene on Thursday. Very short, but I think I got the point across. Anyway, enjoy. :)**

**…**

It only took a minute for the book she'd been reading to fall off the bed, and onto the floor. And about three more for their clothes to pile up around it. See, that's the thing about being married. He can be pissed off and petulant, and she can yell at him in front of half the hospital, and it's not the end of the world.

You kiss, you make up, you move on. And you have sex. Because, really, that's part of the fun of it all.

Meredith curls into him, her soft breaths fanning his neck as she comes back down to earth. After the workout he's just put her body through, she can't do anymore than lie there, but that's okay, because there's nowhere else she'd rather be than here. With her husband.

"I didn't know you were a big Dr. Seuss fan…" Derek says, trailing his fingers along her arm.

"Shut up," Meredith laughs softly. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't even know what Whoville is. So that makes you the Dr. Seuss fan."

Derek recalls lying on the couch with her this past Christmas, watching the cartoon on TV. It was about the five hundredth time he'd seen it; her first. She didn't really pay close attention. The plot didn't matter. Just spending time with Derek was what mattered.

"Fine," he gives in. "You're right."

"I know I'm right."

Derek laughs, rolling her on top of him. Meredith smiles when he gives her a look she can't quite read. "What?"

"I know we just had make-up sex and everything," he says. Probably not the best conversation starter, but necessary. "But I really am sorry. It was mean. What I did was mean. You were excited to do that surgery. And I took that away from you."

"There'll be more surgeries," Meredith reminds him, shrugging it off.

"I know, but.." He pauses. "I love seeing you that excited. Seeing you happy makes me happy."

"So then why did you do it?" Meredith asks candidly, running her fingers through his hair. She's not asking to start a fight; she just figures that if he wants to talk about it, she may as well engineer some of the conversation, too.

Derek almost seems embarrassed as he answers. "I was jealous."

"Jealous?" Her eyebrows knit in confusion as she waits for him to elaborate.

"Yeah. I miss that feeling, you know. That rush that comes with operating. I see the inside of an OR, what? Three times a week? Now, all I have is paperwork and eating alone at lunch," he sighs amusedly.

Meredith frowns. "Eating alone?"

"Easier that way. No one can bother me about surgery schedules or hospital funding if they can't find me," he points out, managing to laugh.

"Eat with me," Meredith says. "Or tell me your hiding spot, and I'll come eat with you. You're my husband. I don't want you eating by yourself."

"It's not a big deal."

"Derek." She rolls onto her side, propping her elbow up onto a pillow. "It is. It's a big deal to me. I love you."

"I love you, too," he says softly, pulling her toward him.

"This job is making you lonely," Meredith says, in a way that leaves no room for him to refute.

"Yeah. It is," he admits. "Being Chief isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"You're doing a good job, though," she encourages, smiling at him slightly. "I just want you to know that. Even when I'm pissed off at you, I'm proud of you."

Derek mirrors the smile on her face. "You're the first person to say that."

"Well, it's true. It's not an easy job. The stress gets to you," Meredith says understandingly.

"Which is why I hate what I did. You're the only one in my corner. Taking out that stress on you isn't fair," Derek apologizes again. He knows she's not mad, but still, he feels the need to reiterate.

"That's why I'm not mad. I'm in your corner for good. No matter what happens. If I were Chief, I'd take my stress out on you, too."

This is why she's his favorite person. She loves him despite the fact that he isn't always so charming. She knows that underneath that surface perfectness, he's flawed. Human. Just like everyone else. And she still loves him.

"I promise I won't do that, ever again." Derek kisses her temple and hears her sigh contentedly, melting into him a little more.

"Okay."

"I'm gonna make it up to you. Tomorrow morning, I have a corpus callosotomy scheduled. You're doing it—if you want to."

Meredith turns her head and looks at him like he's insane. "What?"

"You and me; OR two at eight. We can have breakfast first, then scrub in," Derek offers. His peace offering. A way to make up for stealing her surgery.

"Like a date?" she giggles, humored by the prospect.

"Yes, like a date," Derek echoes, cupping her cheek in his hand and kissing her. "You in?"

A breakfast-slash-surgery date with her husband. Obviously she was in. "Yes," Meredith answers. "But under one condition."

"What's that?"

Meredith pulls back a little and bites her lip. "You eat lunch with me, too. I don't want you to eat by yourself," she insists. "Okay?"

"Okay," he whispers in agreement.

She smiles in satisfaction and lays her head down on his chest, his arms instantly wrapping around her. "Mer?"

"Hmm?" she hums.

"Thank you," Derek says gratefully.

Meredith hugs him with the arm she has draped over his torso. "Any time."

If there was anyone he wanted in his corner, it was her. It always would be.


End file.
